amj-methods

1# Research Design & Methods (amj-methods)
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3## When to trigger
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5- The design may not match the theory's level, timing, or causal claim
6- Data are single-source, single-wave, and self-reported (common-method bias risk)
7- The theory is causal but the design is cross-sectional/correlational
8- Constructs lack established, validated measures
9- A reviewer says "the design cannot test this hypothesis" or "endogeneity is unaddressed"
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11## Match the design to the question
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13AMJ explicitly welcomes **all empirical methods** — qualitative, quantitative, field, laboratory, meta-analytic, and mixed. The bar is *fit and rigor*, not a single preferred method, and qualitative designs are held to an equally demanding standard (the Eisenhardt multiple-case approach and the Gioia methodology for grounded qualitative rigor are the field's reference points).
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15| Theoretical claim                          | Design that earns it                                     |
16|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
17| Causal effect of a manipulable cause       | Experiment (lab/field/online), or natural experiment     |
18| Process unfolding over time                | Multi-wave panel; longitudinal/lagged design             |
19| Firm/strategy outcomes from archival cause | Panel archival with fixed effects + endogeneity strategy |
20| Cross-level mechanism (e.g., team→indiv.)  | Multilevel/nested data with HLM-appropriate structure    |
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